Horse of Nosgoth
by LDA
Summary: Abandon in a cold cruel world everybody tries to keep themselves alive, for both man and animal. One stallion decides which ever side is the best the side of man or the side of vampires.
1. Note

**Attention! **

We take a pick in a horse's eyes and mind over what it thinks when it lives in Nosgoth before SR1. A bit of tragedy, but with struggle you can find your own happiness.

I DON'T own Legacy of Kain, Kain, Nosgoth, etc © Edios and Crystal Dynamics! The black white stallion © LDA. (Me!)

/LDA


	2. The long journey

When I was little I used to live at a farm outside a village at the countryside. Me, my mother and other horses were living there. I still remember that I always thought the grass was always green, even that the sky was very grey, making the world full of shapes. But I didn't care at that age, I hade my mother. I used to run around her, neighing so she would chase me and nipple on my back gently. She always watched over me when I lied down in the grass, resting. Smelling the grass and the flowers around me and also watching my mother with one eye open.

She was so beautiful in my eyes, she was a large, white mare, a really petty horse with that nice shaped head and those wise eyes. While watching me with those big brown eyes she used to tell me stories; one many of my father, a big black and strong stallion who has been in many battles. I looked like a copy of him, she used to say, but I hade her wise eyes and her white mane. I loved to hear all those stories, I used to jump around in the field on my unsteady legs, pretending I'm my father, battling over invisible enemy, carrying a warlord on my back.

Haha, that was times than. Very good times.

My mother also told me that I shall always believe in myself and look forward, that someday I will find a rider who matches me.

Even that I now know it's true; I could hardly believe in it when I one day separated from my mother.

It was a cold morning, rain was hitting towards the ceiling when I woke up. My mother scent was gone and I opened my eyes. She wasn't there.

Where is my mother?

I couldn't see her anywhere. I stumbled up onto my legs and screamed heartbreaking after her. Something hit me on the side of my head hard. It was a shoe and it fell onto the hay. I jerked scared, whimpering blinded of the hit.

"Shut up, you stupid critter!"

It was the farmer who said it, I have only seen him a couple of times when he gave food to my mother when she's in the stables. The farmer was a thin man with grey hair which was always stroked backwards. His clothing were brown and raggy, typical farmer clothing. His sharp eyes looked on a man who stood in front of him in the stables. He was talking to the man who was really large and heavy looking. His small pig eyes looked on me, then returned to the farmer and then back to me. His hands held each other in a joined fist, his clothing were of red silk and seemed noble looking. I didn't like him, his smell was thick and disgusting.

I walked backwards trying to escape his small eyes.

"So... It's truly a son of the great Sarafan stallion Fighter of Meridian, hm?"

"He sure is, that Fighter hade its eyes on one of my mares and managed to get into the stables she was in." The farmer answered the big man.

"Hmm... Maybe you lying to me, old man. But it seems to be a strong and healthy young stallion, so I give you 2 000 gold coins." The fat man claimed with a high voice.

The farmer seemed to think a bit, a artery on his temples beated by all thinking. But than his face softened a bit.

"Deal," the farmer said and took a leather bag with something giving small metal sounds from it's inside.

The fat man called for two servents that held onto a rope and they walked in to me. I tried to jump from them, but they quickly grabbed me and tied up my neck with the rope. I gave helpess yelps while they pulled me out, I didn't want to leave my mother. They sweared over me and pushed me to a wagon and almost litterly threw me on it. I hit my head on the wooden floor hard and got almost knocked out for some seconds.

When I manage to get rid of the black spots dancing affront of my eyes the wagon was moving.

I cried out loud, hoping my mother would hear me and come and get me. But no answer came back, just the rumbling sound from a thundercloud approaching the land. Sadness struck my heart; there I was, abandon to the world with no one. The wagon carried on its travel, into the country which was unknown to me. I tried to relax during the journey, but I could hardly relax because of what the nature looked like. Big trees that looked like monsters reaching out to me, trying to grab me with their claws and grinning evil in the dark. I heard also howling far away; it was wolves, which could easy make a meal of me. I could almost swear that I saw a couple running next to the wagon like shadows before running out back to the wild. I remembered what my mother told me about wolves; they can easy prey on a lone horse so I should always be on my guard so I wouldn't be alone in the forest when they are near. I seek in silence from my memories of her; my beautiful mother. Far I knew that was the beginning of my journey, containing happiness and comfort, pain and fear.

_Tell me how you like this! I know it hasn't got any vampires in it yet, have patience with me, ok? I will write the next chapter soon. /LDA _


	3. Dance of Wishmaster

When the wagon stopped I could smell of something getting burned. It was stinking in my nose, it smelled bloody so I thought it could be meat being cooked, I wasn't sure. I peeked out from the wagon, cold rain drops fell on my muzzle; it was raining. In the dark I saw light from a big house, some meters away. It was a huge mansion there in the dark, servants were standing at the doorway; they have must come out to greet their lord. I saw the fat lord get off the front of the wagon and walked into the house. I almost felt warmth when I saw the light from the windows, I suddenly thought about my mother's warm body which always kept me warm at cold nights and I felt sadness made my heart black. The wagon started to move again with a jerk so I almost fell over, it moved from the light of the mansion. I saw another light in the dark; it was from a small candle. A young man stood affront of a dark stable with a burning candle in his hand, seems have been waiting for them. He wore brown leather clothes; shirt and pants, with black boots and a black belt. His hair was red of what I could see in the faint light from the candle. He looked young, somewhere after twenty years; he was smiling.

"So, the lord found a young stallion he liked, huh, ol' Sam?"

The voice hade the characteristic of a grownup human male, but hade still some light tunes in it.

"Yeah, that little bugger screamed a long way since we left that farm, but now he's quite."

This time it was an old dark voice, by the voice and that the red haired man called him old Sam I thought that the unknown coachman was an old one.

The red haired man walked to the wagon and I, surprisingly stood still when he lifted me down carefully. He smelled also warm dry hay and herbals, he smelled friendly to me.

"Common, little chap. Let's get inside so you can get something to eat and than you can rest for the night." The red haired man said to me with a calm voice while putting a rope around my neck carefully.  
I felt I could trust him and I followed willingly into the stable. I could see at least twenty horses, some gave faint neighs to greet me and some just kept quite. The stable was warm and hade a comfy smell. It smelled hay and other horses. The red haired man brought me to one of boxes; it looked huge for me, but was the right size for me while I continue to grow.

"You alright, little chap." The red haired man said and patted on my head.

Something told me that I will be happy with this man; something told me that he was a kindhearted person. Rest of that night I felt calm and I almost forgot my mum. Just a long calm night with the wind silently singing in the tree tops outside.

"I know what I can call you, little chap." The red haired man said and grinned to me.

"I will call you _Wishmaster_. Because I think my wish to train a fine horse has come true."

My short life as the horse Wishmaster was… what to say… quite calmly.

The red haired man took me out for walks in the land around, cleaned me and gave me food. He even let me be with other young stallion outside on the field, I felt like a real horse, free and strong to run over the plains anytime I wanted.

I even found out that the red haired man hade a small family. A wife, who I got founded to because she always game me some bread, one daughter that was beautiful as a rare flower and a son who had inherit his father's proud appearance. Those kids used to ride on my back when their father took me out for walks in the forest. To hear them giggle and talking to me was music in my ear, I never could see that foals of humans could be such fun. And all the sweets, ho ho, I would have rolled if their mother didn't stop them to give me too much bread, carrots and apples. The lord over the mansion, the one who bought me wasn't so interested in me right now, because I was still an inexperienced horse who couldn't yet have a rider on my back. But I didn't mind, because my family was the red haired man's family, my own personal herd that I loved a lot and they loved me back.

By time when I was four the red haired man started to put something he called a kapson my head, it was of leather and attached to my head around my nose and to behind my ears, together with a kimblewick in my mouth. On the piece on my nose it was three rings and he attached the reins on the two on the sides. I got confused first, but than I understood what he wanted me to do with this task. I felt how I started to carry my body, working with my hind legs, lifting my backbone and bending my neck into a natural proud holding. We worked on this on the both turns in a circle and than started trotting. I felt how my body became stronger and stronger, making my natural steps even stronger, even prouder. The months came and went and than he put a strange object on my back, I think it was called a saddle. I got scared first, but the red haired man calmed me down, I knew he would never harm me.

We did than our small tasks with the strange object on my back so in the end I didn't mind to have that "saddle" on my back, I was five then and haven't yet gotten a rider on my back. The red haired man did many other tasks with me; he didn't teach me, just told me to do the things I already know. Stand on my hind legs in balance, trot on the place, trot to the side from left and right and even changing gallop steps.

Than one day, when we were at the riding arena with clouds watching down from the sky, he took me to stand next to a stub. A stub that hade once a mighty tree that have been cut down a long time ago. I didn't know what to think, why were we standing here?

With calm and patient smile the red haired man swung up onto my back. I got startled first, but I felt it didn't feel so bad to have him onto my back, he wasn't heavy at all.

He told me to go forward and I did go forward. It surprised me that even he didn't stand next to me I felt like we were one; we almost danced to the music of the wind.

I felt how my muscles worked in this dance we did and I saw in the corner of my eye that people looked at us, but I didn't care, it was just me and him in this world we were in. That was my sixth year of my life and one of the happiest memory I have. Just I and he in this dance; which I knew it would be a start of a lifelong friendship.

Or at least so I hoped that time. Because one day… **they** came.


	4. Coward of horses

Something changes on the daily life at the mansion, strange solders that I have never seen before. Humans in armor, flags that waved in the wind, swords with old blood stains which I wouldn't want to know where it came from. My 'master' was among them, talking to their leader, seems making a deal to sell some of his best warrior horses. That wasn't me; because I was still in training. They stayed here for over a week, seems resting after some kind of fight. The horses I met were disciplined and cold, seem they have no time to meet other horses or rest so I wasn't welcome to say hello to them.

As the time went by I heard the stable boys talk about them, calling them the Sarafan. They were saying, I note; _"The Sarafan will save us from the pest of Nosgoth, I'm sure of it. The vampires have the same chance as a snowball in hell." _

Vampires? Who was these 'vampires'? I have never heard of them, but as what they sound at that name they probably wasn't something you would want to meet and make friends with. But as longer these Sarafans stayed at the mansion I felt a strange feeling creeps over me, I ignored it, thinking it was nothing, oh, how wrong I was.

That traitorous night was calm, but too calm. I felt it deep inside the root of my soul, something was heading this way and it wasn't of kind nature. I even heard the other horses get anxious of the same feeling as I felt. I didn't feel so worried, but alert. It must be my breed line that makes me into this alerted horse that is ready for something I couldn't put my hoof on.

Waited. I waited for hours. Even when the red haired man came in to say good night to me I didn't even move, just listen.

"Hey… Was up, Wishmaster?" The red haired man asked me, trying to make me snap out of it.

But I didn't, I just kept still and alert, my ears flicking back and forth for any sound. I was waiting, waiting for this unknown feeling to reveal itself.

When it all came, it didn't come as a silent attack. Screams of pain and shouts of war came like a lightning from clear blue sky and startled us. The stable door flung wide open and a man stood there, leaning towards the doorframe. I didn't have to use my eyes to know what was wrong with the man.

Blood.

I felt how the smell of that damned fluid of life stuck into my nose, my instincts told me to run, to run from this place. Run from the smell of blood that was pouring out from a deep cut in the man's side, like a dangerous flood. But no, I told my instincts to keep calm; it would be foolish to run right now.

"Va-vampires… attacking... run... RUN! Ack!"

I never forget the sound how the neck bone shattered by the steel on the end of an arrow. It came from nowhere in the dark and hit the man. The man was silent for all time and now panic broke loose.

All the horses gave a loud screams of fear, hitting their hind legs towards the doors to try to get out. Terrified eyes, screaming mouths and bodies moving in pure panic made my instincts take over my mind and I also gave a worried scream. The panic was almost too much for me to bear as a young stallion.

"Holy God…" I heard the red haired man shout right out and grabbed my bridle, calming me down before putting it on.

"We must get my family and get out of here, Wishmaster. I trust you my friend."

His voice was filled with fear, but is also brave enough to try to escape on the stallion he has trained sens he came to the mansion as a one year old foal. When the red haired man put my saddle on my back I felt how I started to get brave, I could do this. Whatever was in my way I will cross over it to be able to put my family into safety. I could never been so focused and hopeful that my body will be strong enough to run with whole my family on my back. But I knew I could do it, I was big and strong, I can do it.

The red haired man released me from my stable box and swung up onto my back. An overpowering feeling of bravery swept over me and on command I ran out through the open door, over the dead man.

The sight I saw outside was horrible to watch, a sight I have never seen before.

Those Sarafan warriors were fighting against pale beats, which looked like humans. But I knew deep inside my instincts that they were no human beings. Those beasts slit the throats of the humans, seems triggered by the blood. These must be the vampires I heard of. I gave a loud neigh while I jumped over two warriors who was wrestling over life and death and tried to avoid so much contact with the fight as possible. I heard my red haired friend shout after his family for response, but even I in the war scream hade trouble hearing anything.

I felt how I ran over spilled blood and ripped out guts, it sicken me. Than I heard a small sound, a woman shouting after the red haired man, I knew that voice. There, over there they are! I saw the small family trying to find shelter from the battle behind a house.

"Forward, Wishmaster! Forward!"

I heard my friend scream so I would hear over the sounds of swords crashing into each other and metal scream when they made weight for forces I could never imagine. Faster and faster I ran towards the house, keeping my eyes on the boy and girl who scared clung onto their mother's dress, I would not loose them from my sight, never in my life.

When we reached the family my red haired friend grabbed their oldest child, the boy, from his wife onto my back affront of the red haired man.

"We must go! They are coming! Vampires! They're coming!" I heard his wife shout of fear.

That gentle voice who has spoken to me so many times was so out of character; instead filled with warmth was now filled with terror.

"_Stop it now, you big brut." The red haired man's wife said before she chuckled. _

_I have tried to silently steal a piece of bread from the basket she carried hers and her husband's meal for the day. I knew it always some piece of bread there for me to steal. Even that the madam was strict she could show soft emotions towards me; a thickheaded young stallion. I gave one of the most watery eyes I could make, begging for a piece of something good. _

"_Aw, alright, you will get have some bread. I hate it when you give me puppy eyes." She chuckled again and broke a piece of bread for me. _

_I just happily munched on my bread while she strokes my neck. _

The wife quickly climbed up onto my back behind her husband, holding their young daughter. I saw that the war was getting worse and worse, the killing was everywhere, sparing no one.

"Forward, Wishmaster!"

I followed the order and took off as fast as I could. I rammed through a wall of vampires fighting humans and tried to find a way out from there. Smoke from burning flesh and burnt wood filled my nostrils and I felt panic try to take over my mind. Not now, I won't loose my head, I will get out of there. I will.

I ran towards the burning mansion, I followed my red haired friend's signals, encouraged me to run faster. I felt how the muscles under my skin strain themselves to almost their limits. I would make it, I saw a way out, just over the hill and we'll escape! I felt how thrilled I felt, how my spirit rises itself.

How wrong I was.

At the other side of the hill was a group of vampires, ready for battle. I screamed out loud when I crashed into them, almost drowning in a sea of bodies. I heard from family scream, where were they? I couldn't feel them on my back, I panicked. I felt how my saddle got torn off, my bridle almost ripped off my face. I took a leap out from the mass, screaming scared. I couldn't see my family, just the snarling faces of beasts. It was than panic took over and I bolted away into the forest.

* * *

After some hours, when the screams of war got silent I got the courage to return to the place. It was terrible to see; bodies of humans lied everywhere, some burn that you couldn't see if it was a man or a woman, torn apart, body parts separated and spread. Bodies of man and horses that painted the ground red; their faces stuck in silent agony and terror, a real blood bath.

I neighed out into the air, hoped my family would answer. But nothing, just a silent crow that picked on a dead mare gave a faint answer before picking out an eyeball. I walked around, looking around, hoping that they would be spared or be hiding. But my worst nightmares; that would haunt me forever, were before me. There laid my family, slaughtered like lambs. I felt how my heart felt sick when I saw that they have slit their throats, not even the children were spared. My family… I have let them down. I cowardly ran into the forest on pure instinct. I cursed myself silently, but I also cursed those beasts, who took my family. I sniffed on the hair of the little girl; the smell of her gave me a painful reminder.

_The children were laughing when I jumped into the lake. They hade followed their dad when he took me out fro a walk in the forest and hade them on my back. I thought that the children would use a bath and walked in the shallow waters while they clung onto my mane. To see my friend sit on a rock nearby, smiling happy, to hear the children giggle and speaking to me; it was like music for me. Music that made my spirit strong for the next day. _

But now… I would never hear that music anymore, I; the coward of horses let down my family. I gave one last sad look upon the bodies before shaking off the damage bridle and gave the final sniffing on the bodies. I would remember their smell, my memories would contain them and they will live on in my heart. I turned and walked away from the slaughter, I didn't want to see it again. The crows silently sang in the wind while I walked into the forest. Once again I was alone, with a more shattered heart.


	5. Beasts in my dreams

_I exuse myself that it's short, but enjoy it anyway. /LDA _

* * *

I can't remember how many days I just wandered around in the forest, heart broken and have no will to live. How could I escape the memories of a slaughter?

The day was extra gloomy today; clouds heavy and dark silently made their journey in the sky. My thoughts returned to my mother and than to the red haired man's family. I had everything and lost everything… How will this end?

A sound made me jerk and alerted. It sounded just like somebody have drawn it right out from my memory. Howling from wolves; those hungry beasts would see a lone horse as an easy meal.  
I felt how the panic worked itself inside me like a huge wave and I started to look around, smelling, trying to find out where the wolves are. Suddenly, out from the blue, there came snarling jaws and long sharp teeth lunging towards me. The wolves hardly gave me some minutes to run, just the time to scream and start running from those beasts.

I heard how their bark mixed with the sounds of my rumbling hooves and my beating heart.

I felt how my ungulate instincts yelled at me to run faster, but my muscles were stiff and couldn't take care of the energy I hade. I heard how the pack leader came closer and closer behind me, biting towards my back hooves. I didn't want to get bitten so I would fall and never get back up. I in the middle of the gallop took my attacked hoof forward more and with as much power I could get I kicked right into the face of the wolf. I felt how the teeth and bone shattered; the leader wolf didn't have a slightest chance to avoid it. The wolf collapsed in the middle of its leap and the pack stopped and stared terrified on the body. I stopped also, turned my head. The alpha's face was covered with blood, its nose was now just a faint memory of its old self, it seemed that the eyes got punctured along with the brain also, because it was some strange fluids flow out from the smashed up face with the blood.

Than the pack realized that I was watching them, staring at me in a blank expression. I laid my ears back and blew myself up; to look bigger and scarier. The reaction didn't take a long time to show itself; with scared yelps and with their tails between their legs they ran off from me.

I calmed myself down, snorted towards the body of the alpha male. Strange world I'm living in, danger at every corner and yet I survived for days. I continued my journey from that the place of my fight with the wolves, sniffing on the ground to find fresh grass and plants to eat. But after two kilometers I felt that rain fell onto my back and I took shelter under a pine tree. While I stood there, silently and deep into my thought, I tried to get some rest. But in my half asleep state I saw dreams. Dreams of beasts slaughter human, snarling jaws of wolves and screams of agony. The vampires still haunted my mind, to my instincts; wolves and vampires hade no difference to me. Beasts are always beasts.

But a familiar scent came to my nostrils; it smelled like oats and hay. It has been a time sens I've smelled that. I took some steps outside my shelter, feeling that it has stopped raining. I followed the scent slowly, feeling tempted by the scent of the tasty oats. As I came closer I felt the smell of apples and different vegetables. But also I remembered the thick smell of cooking meat, the smell which bothered me when I was little. The trees got lesser and the view got more open. Than I came to some kind of camp, I recognized the mark of those solders that were at the mansion and also got defeated by those vampires. The same time my family… No, I shouldn't think about it.

I shouldn't interfere with them, I planned to just sneak to the place where the oats and hay are, eating some and than disappear from this place before they notice me. It felt a bit easy with my dark skin to hide in the damp light and the shadows. I heard the solders talk, the black smiths working on metal and other horses snorting to get rid of the smoke from their mules. They saw me, but so did not their humans. I smelled that my goal was in my reach, I hurried my steps a little bit. Go there quickly and than run off again.

But I than felt a thick rope around my neck, somebody have caught me. I screamed and raised myself onto my hind legs, trying to release myself. It was three humans who hold onto the rope which was around my neck. Then I realized it was no use and stopped fighting back, snorting exhausted.

"Commander! We caught a horse, it seems being a tame one that probably ran off," one of the solders shouted into the camp.

A tall human with a quality armor and red cape stepped forward. He was a human with brown hair that ended under his ears, a thin beard on his face and cold brown eyes that seemed to look at me as I was a lower pathetic being. His face was worn out by years of battling and has a little scar on his jaw.

I felt the familiar warnings my instinct gave me, I didn't like him at all, but years of training made me automatically standing still when he walked towards me. He looked on my head, felt on my back and legs, always looking blank. When he opened my mouth to check my teeth I wondered why he did it.

"Hmm. He seems healthy; he shall be my new steed. We lost old Brutus during the last battle. Make him ready for battle, solder."

"Yes, commander," said one of the three solders and bowed.

I watched the sarafan walk away, what a strange human, I thought.

The solders leaded me away to the part of the camp they hade their horses and guided me into one of the temporary enclosure they had. It wasn't too bad for me; there was hay for me to eat and a bucket of oats. "Maybe…" I thought. "Maybe I have found a new place to call home? Maybe I would fit to be a war horse. I'm sure everything will work out."

Later on; I regretted I ever thought that.


End file.
